ALL THINGS FRENCH

On this day way back in  1893 the Eiffel Tower was opened, serving as an entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair. After 124 years the tower's still "going strong" and is one of the most recognized structures in the world.

There are no books on the Eiffel Tower in the Bullis Room, but there are  several books  with French connections, such as:

Love = "L'amour": from the French,

by Jules Michelet, published by Carleton in New York, 1868

History of Louis XIV,

by John S. C. Abbott, published by Harper in New York 1899

Patchwork,

by Basil Hall, published by E. Moxon in London, 1841

Ninety-three,

by Victor Hugo, published by Harper & Brothers, 1874

(For you Hugo fans, he wrote Ninety-three (his last novel) after the bloody upheaval of the Paris Commune in 1793 during the French Revolution.  And for those of you interested in travel books, Patchwork contains travel descriptions of France as well as Italy and Switzerland.)

If any of these books strike your fancy, please stop by and ask to spend some time with them.

REMEMBERING NETTIE BULLIS

Jeanette Aurelia Bullis was born 120 years ago today.  This is a special day for those of us who admire and respect her, a day to remember her generosity to her community that continues through her scholarships and grants.

This year we also remember that Nettie Bullis's generosity was a result of her New England frugality and her business acumen. Although she never heard the term that's currently being tossed around, Nettie Bullis began "leaning in" more than a century ago. And she continued in that manner throughout her life.

Nettie Bullis was truly a woman ahead of her time. The results of her actions speak louder than words. We can only again say, "Thank you, Nettie Bullis, for being you."


These two links will give you more detail about Miss Bullis's life and accomplishments:
http://www.palmaccsd.org/community.cfm?subpage=357790
http://bullisbookchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/03/nettie-bullis.html

HAPPY PI DAY

Today is March 14 - also known as 3/14 - also known as 3.14 - also known as pi.

We couldn't let this day go by without putting in a plug for all of these math and engineering books on the shelves here in the Bullis Collection.   Several generations of Bullises used these books in their professions, and it's interesting to speculate how they applied the knowledge they gleaned from these volumes.

You are invited to stop by anytime (it doesn't have to be pi day) and spend some time with these volumes.  (And for those of you with a special interest in pi, you might even find out how far pi was carried out in the days before calculators and computers.)

CELEBRATING WOMEN

Around the globe International Women's Day is recognized in many different ways. Those of us who are privileged to work with the Bullis collection celebrate this day quietly in two ways. First, we again acknowledge (and thank) Nettie Bullis for her generosity to this community. And second, we review the collection's books on great women. We've already posted information on this blog about most of these books; thus we're listing below the posts for your reference.

Please link to our posts on:

March 26, 2009, "Women's History Month," for Bullis books on everyday women who have achieved great accomplishments;

August 19, 2009, "Women's Equality," for Bullis books on Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton;

November 5, 2009, "Women's Sufferage," for Bullis books on Susan B. Anthony;

and

September 10, 2011, "Two Amazing Women," for Bullis books on Sojourer Truth.

March is Women's History Month. We invite you to stop by the Bullis Room during the month to learn more about women's accomplishments and contributions to our society.

VERMONT and the BULLIS FAMILY

Vermont became our fourteenth state on March 4, 1791, two years to the day after the Constitution of the United States went into effect as the first Federal Congress met in New York.

The Bullis family's connection to that great (and beautiful) state is through Charles Bullis, who was born in 1723 in Greenwich, Connecticut and later moved to Manchester, Vermont. He served in the Revolutionary War in Captain Gideon Brownson's Company, Warner Regiment, Vermont Militia. Charles' descendants came to Macedon from Vermont in 1837 and bought the property on Canandaigua Road in 1839. Sometime after that they started the collection that fills the Bullis Room today.

The Bullises were obviously interested in their home state, because there are two books on Vermont in the collection, both worth your time to look through. They are:

The Green Mountain boys; 
a historical tale of the early settlement of Vermont,

written by Daniel B. Thompson
and published in 189? by A. L. Burt of New York.

and

Ethan Allen and the Green-Mountain heroes of '76:

with a sketch of the early history of Vermont,

written by Henry W. De Puy 

and published in 1860 by Phinney, Blakeman & Mason, New York.

We'd like to show (show off?) these books to you. Hope you'll stop by the Bullis Room the next time you're in the library.